Why do we do the "good" things that we do? Why do we help fellow Christians in need? Why do we make the choice to do something for someone else or take on a seemingly insurmountable task?
In a social media driven world, "do not do your charitable deeds before men" takes on a whole new meaning! It is so easy for us to "do something" for another person, then immediately tell our 700+ Facebook friends in a post about how we've spent our day helping out a "friend in need." As a result, when you turn on your computer and fire up Facebook, your newsfeed is filled with status updates such as, "I'm so blessed to have been able to go and mow Brother so-and-so's lawn because he is aged and cannot do it himself!" The question becomes, then, whether or not we have done it out of the goodness of our heart or if we are doing it so that others will look on our deed and praise us for our generosity?
Modern technology has provided easy avenues for narcissistic tendencies to be shown to the entire world; Americans are taught that it doesn't matter what their opinion is, it is worth hearing...even if it is illogical in every respect. And should we do something "good," then the whole world has the right to hear about it! Christ, on the other hand, teaches exactly the opposite; there is no room for narcissism in a Christian's life. Statements of a spiritual nature are to be based off of Scripture, not personal opinions and desires for how it "ought to be." How we depict ourselves, whether in person or via the internet, is either a benefit to the cause of Christ or it gives the world an opportunity to blaspheme His name.
Let us consider a few pertinent Scriptures. In Acts 4:32-37, we have the account of Barnabas selling his property and providing for his fellow Christians in need. In this instance, Barnabas does this good deed because it was needed and other Christians were aware of what he had done because they had personally benefited from his sacrifice. However, the beginning of Acts 5 paints a very different picture of some not so selfless Christians. Here, the attitudes and actions of Ananias and Sapphira are contrasted with the actions of Barnabas (as denoted by the "But" in Acts 5:1). Rather than sell their property for righteous reasons, as Barnabas had done, they chose to lie to the Holy Spirit in an effort at gaining the praise of their brethren, as well as benefiting financially. As many today who attempt to deceive others, Ananias and Sapphira believed that they were only deceiving men. However, Peter tells them that they lied to the Holy Spirit and not to men; is this not true today as well?
In Acts 9:36-43, we have the account of the death of Dorcas. Acts 9:36 tells us that Dorcas "was full of good works and charitable deeds". Had Dorcas paraded herself through the streets of Joppa announcing her own goodness? Had she sought out the praise of those around her? If she had a Facebook page, would she have posted, "Whew! So tired today after spending my day making garments for the women of Joppa...they can't pay me, but it was worth it!"? Doubtful. Instead, it seems that the good deeds of Dorcas were known only because the people for whom she had performed these deeds recognized her goodness. In other words, she did not have to TELL people that she was charitable because other people already knew it from experience (reference Acts 9:39).
From the examples of Barnabas and Dorcas, we are seeing exactly what Christ meant when He said not to do our charitable deeds before men. While other people will know that we have done charitable deeds for them, we are not to do so for their praise. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus tells us that if we do our charitable deeds to be seen by men, God will not reward us for them. He further tells us that when we have done a charitable deed, that we are not to "sound a trumpet before" ourselves so that we may receive the glory of men! The concept is that we do a charitable deed because it is the right thing to do, then we do not go around discussing it (Matthew 6:3-4). It is hard not to allow your right hand to know what your left hand is doing...if you are telling everyone that you have done it!
Unfortunately, our modern culture has taught us that everyone ought to know everything that we do, whether it is appropriate to discuss what we do in a public setting or not! Often, people "sound a trumpet" before themselves for some choice that they have made or for some aid that they have given to another person. Is this something that is new, however? It is not something that is new with our own generation; rather, it is something that has always been! Consider 2 Timothy 3:1-9 where Paul tells Timothy that perilous times would come because men were "lovers of themselves," among many other worldly things. There is, in fact, a whole list of attributes that mankind has that keeps them separated from God, but is it coincidence that Paul places "lovers of themselves" at the head of such a list? If one loves themselves rather than God (and by extension, others), wouldn't the rest of this list naturally follow?
Denying ourselves is probably the hardest part of becoming a Christian and continuing to live faithfully for the rest of our lives. In our "me first" society, it is hard to tell ourselves "no" to just about anything, but especially to make sure that we are putting other people ahead of ourselves. As we have seen from the passages explored, we are to do charitable deeds for others because it is the right thing to do and because God recognizes those deeds, but we are not to ensure that everyone in the world knows how good and righteous we are because we have done something "good."
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